John’s Reeves Ltd., a fixture of White Bay for 100 years, is now gone.

Once operating with it’s main store in Englee, and seven branch stores, the highly successful business rode the ups and downs of the fishery, employing hundreds of people over the years.

At its peak, the Englee location had a fish plant and salmon cannery; its own schooners, saw mill, hardware and grocery store.

But the 1992 cod moratorium would rapidly bring change to the fishery dependent business. Eventually dwindling it to just one store in Englee. But the business managed to secure its place in the struggling community.

Now 66 years old and no one to take things over, third generation manager Bernard McDonald says it’s time to move on.

In the beginning

Going back through the years, McDonald said, founder John Reeves set up shop in Canada Harbour in late 1914.

“My understanding is he had some merchandise which he started selling that winter, and he had to wait until spring to restock when navigation opened,” he said. “I guess people, the fishermen especially, wanted somewhere they could buy supplies rather than having to get them from outside.”

His grandfather, also Bernard McDonald, who was teaching along the coast as well, went into partnership with John Reeves and in the early 1920s the business was moved to Englee.